country bumpkin

Chapter 223 Another Failed Escape

Kong Xiujin was terrified and quickly got up to hide in the corner of the bed, trembling with fear.

Dr. Pang said, "Girl, don't be afraid. You fell into the ravine because you weren't careful. It was Grandpa Ren who was driving his donkey cart and heard Er Gouzi crying for help, so he saved you."

Kong Xiujin looked at the thin, dark-skinned doctor, then at the white-haired old man, and finally her gaze fell on Xiong Shanhe.

They then realized that "Er Gouzi" was Xiong Shanhe. It turned out that they had come to Xiong Shanhe's hometown—Xiongshanling Village.

So her escape attempt failed. Realizing this, Kong Xiujin quickly racked her brains for a way to escape.

The three people inside looked at the mute girl, who was trembling with fear, and guessed that she had damaged her brain from the fall.

Once Kong Xiujin knew this, escaping would be harder than climbing to heaven. For now, she could only pretend to have amnesia and not recognize Xiong Shanhe. Otherwise, he wouldn't lower his guard.

Thinking of this, Kong Xiujin clutched her head tightly with both hands, shaking it violently like a rattle drum, crying out in pain, "Ah... my head... ah... it hurts so much... my head hurts so much..."

Dr. Pang quickly said, "Young lady, don't move. Let me take a look at your injury. Perhaps when you hit the stone, there was some blood stasis in your head, which is why you have such a terrible headache. I'll prescribe some traditional Chinese medicine to help clear blood stasis, stop bleeding, and reduce inflammation."

Xiong Shanhe, who was standing nearby, said, "Dr. Pang, I don't have any money on me right now. Maybe I shouldn't open the clinic. Maybe I should go home, get some sleep, and rest."

Dr. Pang was speechless and could only say, "Why don't you go home first and wait and see? If you still have a headache tomorrow, come back for medicine!"

Xiong Shanhe smiled and agreed, "Okay, let's do it that way! Thank you for your help."

Dr. Pang waved his hand and looked at the white-haired old man beside him.

Grandpa Ren looked at Xiong Shanhe and said, "Er Gouzi, I have some money here. Why don't you get two doses of medicine to drink first? You can pay me back when you have the money."

Xiong Shanhe smiled and thanked him, "Then thank you, Grandpa Ren. I'll go back and find my brother to return the money to you."

After saying that, he looked at Dr. Pang and said, "Please help me get the medicine, doctor!"

Dr. Pang nodded and turned to prescribe the medicine. Xiong Shanhe climbed onto the bed and helped Kong Xiujin off.

The two men stood on the ground and said to Grandpa Ren, "Grandpa, we'll wait outside for a while."

Once outside the house, Kong Xiujin's eyes darted around, trying to figure out how to get rid of Xiong Shanhe completely.

Just then, she saw a child playing with a slingshot by the roadside. An idea came to her; she pretended to be dizzy and leaned towards the child.

Caught off guard by the approaching child, the boy panicked and fired a bullet. The bullet flew straight toward Xiong Shanhe, who was unable to dodge and was struck in the forehead. The pain caused him to release his grip on Kong Xiujin's hand.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Kong Xiujin turned and ran. Xiong Shanhe, ignoring the pain, shouted and chased after her.

In her panic, Kong Xiujin ran into a dead end. Just as Xiong Shanhe was about to catch up, she noticed a few stacked bricks by the wall in her despair, which looked like a way to climb over the wall.

She gritted her teeth and struggled to climb the bricks. When Xiong Shanhe arrived, he only managed to grab a corner of Kong Xiujin's clothes, while Kong Xiujin had already climbed over to the other side of the wall. Ignoring the situation outside, she ran frantically towards him.

Xiong Shanhe struggled to climb over the wall and chased after him. Kong Xiujin ran while looking back, only to see Xiong Shanhe hot on her heels, his eyes filled with anxiety.

Suddenly, Kong Xiujin lost her footing and rolled forward, falling into a pit.

Seeing this, Xiong Shanhe sped up and ran to the edge of the pit. Kong Xiujin thought she was doomed this time and huddled in a corner, trembling.

Xiong Shanhe didn't try to pull her up. Instead, he squatted down, panting, and said, "Xiujin, why did you have to run away? I won't hurt you. As long as you and I live a good life together."

With a sob in her voice, Kong Xiujin cried out, "Let me go, I don't belong here."

Xiong Shanhe was silent for a while, then slowly said, "If you leave, there are many wild animals in these mountains, and you will be in danger. Once you have recovered, I will personally escort you out of the mountains."

Kong Xiujin was stunned by his words; she hadn't expected Xiong Shanhe to say that. Hesitantly, Xiong Shanhe extended his hand, "Come on up first."

Kong Xiujin looked at the rough, dark hand, her heart filled with mixed emotions. Finally, she slowly extended her hand to Xiong Shanhe.

Xiong Shanhe thought to himself, "Once you come home with me, you won't have a choice anymore. Once you're at my house, you can't possibly run away."

Kong Xiujin was also injured from falling twice in a row. Now she is in pain all over and wants to recover before making any plans.

She naturally didn't believe Xiong Shanhe's words. But she was too tired and hungry to do anything else.

Xiong Shanhe naturally knew that Kong Xiujin's current obedience was only a temporary measure, and she had no intention of escaping at all.

As long as he paid close attention to her, he wasn't afraid she would run away. Full of confidence, Xiong Shanhe helped Kong Xiujin back to Doctor Pang's courtyard.

At this moment, Grandpa Ren came out carrying three packets of traditional Chinese medicine. He said, "You two young people shouldn't quarrel anymore. Go home and take good care of your injuries!"

Xiong Shanhe helped Kong Xiufang onto the donkey cart, then took the Chinese medicine from Grandpa Ren's hand, and climbed onto the donkey cart himself, saying, "Grandpa Ren, don't worry, we will make up."

Grandpa Ren glanced at Kong Xiujin, sighed, and said nothing more. He jumped onto the donkey cart and drove it back to Xiong Shanhe's house.

On the way, Grandpa Ren muttered to himself, "How come Er Gouzi is in such a sorry state, and penniless? And wasn't his wife supposed to be a tall, strong, and wealthy woman? Why is she different now? What happened? This woman doesn't seem to want to live with him anymore. Looks like I'll have to keep a close eye on her!"

Xiong Shanhe was thinking about how to explain his divorce to his parents, and why he had a new wife.

He was deep in thought when, without realizing it, he arrived at the door of Xiong Shanhe's old house.

They got off the donkey cart, and Grandpa Ren turned it around and went back to his own home. Xiong Shanhe led Kong Xiujin into the old courtyard filled with hay.

The old house is still there, and it hasn't collapsed, but the roof leaks when it rains.

He opened the door; neither the front nor the back door was locked. It seemed his parents came over often!

The house was dusty, and there were cobwebs in the corners. The two wooden stools in the living room, however, were quite clean.

It must be because people often come to sit here that it's always clean and there's no dust on it.

He settled Kong Xiujin in, sat down to rest, and then went to his younger brother's house.

Before leaving, he took the large padlock hanging at the front gate and locked it from the outside. That way, the gate couldn't be opened from the inside.

Only after taking precautions did I feel at ease going to my younger brother's house to discuss things with my parents.